In recent years, many systems have been developed for various purposes, wherein the systems are distributed over a potentially large area. The distribution of portions of the systems thus requires that testing of the operational conditions of the system be performed locally to respective portions of the system and requires test equipment and trained operators thereof who are also trained to effect most, if not all, types of installation, repair or maintenance to perform testing at the respective portions of the system using portable equipment. So-called Broadband Communications Systems such as are currently used for distribution of entertainment programming, Internet access, telephone service and the like are exemplary of systems where testing must be performed at particular locations of portions of the system not only to assure adequate performance of the system but to prevent egress of broadband signals that may interfere with other communications transmissions. Further, signal quality and substantial freedom from signal ingress and egress is of paramount importance, particularly where additional services such as high-speed digital computer network connections and digital telephone connections (e.g. using voice over internet protocol) are provided over the Broadband Communications System infrastructure. Many testing devices for such systems have been developed and are known at the present time.
Such testing devices require that testing operations be controllable by the operator of the test equipment and the results of testing be communicated to the operator of the testing device so that any problems or out-of-tolerance conditions can be diagnosed, the cause(s) located and remedial action taken. Thus, a keyboard and display or other structures capable of such data, entry and communication functions are generally provided as part of the test instrument. Such input and output devices often represent a significant fraction of the cost of the test instrument. Since tests to be performed are often numerous and complex, it is also generally desirable for testing protocols to be at least partially automated (e.g. to at least provide prompts to a user of a preferred sequence of tests of different parameters within an overall testing protocol and to automate various steps within each testing operation) so that a potentially complex test can be performed upon entry of a simple command by the user. Testing devices or instruments are also required to be sufficiently rugged to withstand field use which also contributes significantly to their cost while input and output arrangements are significant sources of potential damage that can possibly disable the test instrument and require expensive repairs.
It is also generally desirable and often required that the test results be documented. For example, during installation of service and/or new equipment for communication to (and/or from) a particular location, in excess of twenty separate tests may be performed at a number of different locations within a given installation to qualify the installation as being completely and correctly installed (including accommodation of the environment of the installation such as noise sources) and capable of providing high-speed data connections when the installation is completed. Documentation of the measured signal parameters can thus prove that the installation is capable of delivering merchantable service as well as providing a baseline against which a need for repairs or upgrades may be determined. However, manual recording and transcription (usually as a paper copy at the present time) of numerous parameter values is necessarily time-consuming and subject to errors; causing delays and providing no assurance that adequate quality of service is provided by the installation or that repairs are adequately effective before installation or maintenance personnel leave the work site. Additionally, there is no provision for work orders to be received and cleared in a timely fashion. As a result, scheduling of repairs and installation is complicated and inefficient while numbers of “call-backs” to improve or correct installations and repairs appears to be much larger than might otherwise be achieved.
As a partial solution to this latter problem, technical maintenance personnel sometimes carry laptop or notebook computers with wireless network communication capability and/or wireless communication devices (e.g. so-called palm-top devices or communication device similar to those used for object tracking in courier delivery systems and the like) into the field for problem diagnosis, to suggest particular test protocol sequences and in order to make more timely reports of work done. However, doing so is cumbersome and inconvenient and involves redundant input and output structures between the testing device and the communication device which are often of substantial weight and bulk as well as requiring plural devices to be carried into the field and manipulated at the work site. In such arrangements, manual transcription of measured data which may be stored in the testing instrument remains subject to error or the portable computer device must be programmed to perform downloads of stored data from the test instrument which must remain capable of autonomous operation under direct control of the operator.